Summary
to achieve the best and “true” ending in Supermassive Games’Until Dawn, all characters must survive and Sam needs to find Hannah’s journal in the mines to ensure Josh’s safety. Originally, if Josh recognized Hannah as the Wendigo and survived, a post-game cutscene would reveal that Josh had turned into a Wendigo himself. However, Ballistic Moon’s remake ofUntil Dawnhas introduced new “secret” endings for not only Josh, but also Sam, who is canonically supposed to survive the night’s events regardless of other characters' fates.
With so many ways to get characters killed and guarantee a bad ending, it balances things out to have multiple new good endings, one of which seems to hint at a potential sequel revolving around Hayden Panettiere’s final girl, Samantha.Now that there are several “good” endings inUntil Dawn, here’s a rundown of all of them, including all the choices needed to obtain them.
1Sam Doesn’t Die (New Sam Ending)
Unlocked If Sam Survives Until Dawn
In the post-credits scene for theUntil Dawnremake, Hayden Panettiere’s Samantha Gidding awakens in her bed at her Los Angeles home, several years after the events ofUntil Dawn. She wakes bright and early at 6AM to the vibration of her work alarm, then there’s a close-up of her phone’s lock screen, which features an image of Sam hugging her dog. On the bedside table, there’s a book titled “Creature Myths of the Great Plains” by A. N. Perkins and several empty pill bottles. When Sam sits up and retrieves her phone to snooze the alarm, her thumb swipes across the screen and leaves a smear of blood. Sam looks down at her forearm and notices a mysterious marking oozing blood. She tries to wipe it, but it won’t stop bleeding. Suddenly, the scene develops a red hue, and Sam hears a mysterious, disembodied voice calling her name.
To unlock Sam’s secret ending, it doesn’t matter what other choices are made throughout the game, but Sam must survive. Sam is one of two characters (the other being Josh) who is physically unable to die until Chapter 10. To keep Sam alive,simply complete all the Don’t Move sequencesduring the final confrontation in the lodge. If the other characters don’t make it out, it won’t make a difference, as Sam’s ending seems to imply that she was the sole survivor of the incident.
2Everyone Lives (Josh Becomes A Wendigo)
Unlocked If Hannah Spares Josh
In the original “best” ending forUntil Dawn, it’s possible to spare Josh’s life, but he gets trapped in the mines — just like Hannah before him —and resorts to cannibalismto stave off his hunger. When a rescue team ventures down into the mines to search for Josh, they find themselves right in the heart of the Wendigo’s lair, passing bythe corpses of the characters whose lives were lostthroughout the night. When they shine a flashlight down a long passageway, they find Josh feasting on the Stranger’s head. They report seeing signs of a survivor, but Josh turns his head to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth as the spirit of the Wendigo begins to physically transform him. As Josh rises and adopts a predatory stance, the screams of the search party are heard, and it is implied that Josh attacks them.
To unlock the “Josh becomes a Wendigo” ending, Sam must find Hannah’s journal in Chapter 10.There will be a segment with Sam and Mike where they jump down into an underground lake. When they first enter, immediately walk to the left as Sam and there should be an overhang to climb up. Once Sam is back on dry land, simply walk toward the camera andthe journal is lying open on the ground. When Sam reads it, she will learn that the Wendigo is Hannah, who dug up her sister Beth’s body and ate it to prevent herself from starving to death in the months she was down there. Later, once Sam and Mike find Josh, Mike takes Josh back the way they came, but he is ambushed by Hannah and attacked while walking through the water. If the journal is found, Josh will recognize the Wendigo as Hannah, and she will drag him awayinstead of killing him outright.
3Everyone Lives (New Josh Ending)
Unlocked If Hannah Spares Josh And Josh Shows Remorse
Ballistic Moon’s remake doesn’t remove any of Josh’s original endings, but it does add a new one, which can be considered the new canonically “true” ending since everyone actually lives (and doesn’t become a Wendigo).Josh’s new ending gives him a real shot at a “normal” life, just like everyone else, which allows him to be redeemed for his actions as the Psycho. In Josh’s new ending, Dr. Hill’s patronizing words continue to torment Josh as he sits hunched over in the mines. Dr. Hill says “I hope for your sake, Joshua, you can find redemption,” and Josh slowly lifts his head to reveal that he’s very much human — no sharp teeth in sight.
To get Josh’s new, better ending, Sam needs to find Hannah’s journal in Chapter 10, but Josh also needs to show remorse in Chapter 8 when Dr. Hill interrogates him.Josh must choose"They hurt me"whenDr. Hill asks “Why did you hurt them?“and he will say “They didn’t hurt you, Joshua, not intentionally. They made a stupid mistake and a terrible tragedy befell your sisters. They did intend for that to happen… it just did. And they were sorry, at least… until you subjected them to your night of horrific torture.” Then, Josh must choose the response"I’m so sorry"to unlock his new ending.
